By Jennifer Larson, contributor Feb 25, 2020
If you’re
a nurse practitioner or physician assistant who wants to work in pediatrics, it’s
a good time to pursue that dream.
First of
all, you have options: you can pursue certification in primary care or acute
care. Secondly, demand for these advanced practitioners continues to climb, and
the salaries for pediatric NP jobs and pediatric PA jobs are up, too.
In fact, pediatric
nurse practitioners, or PNPs, who are certified in primary care, earn an
average base salary of $106,301, according to the American Association of Nurse
Practitioners’ most recent National Sample Survey in 2018. PNPs who are
certified in acute care earn about $96,494.
Plus,
pediatrics can be an incredibly meaningful career.
“As a PNP
in the primary care office, you have the rewarding opportunity to watch a
family bring their newborn home from the office and watch that same patient get
ready for college years later,” said Cindy Trent, CPNP-C, a pediatric nurse
practitioner and faculty member for Walden University’s Master of Science in
Nursing (MSN) program.
FIND pediatric locum tenens
opportunities across the U.S.
Rapid
growth of the NP and PA workforces
Opportunities
for pediatric NPs and PAs continue to open up, thanks to the overall growth of
the NP and PA workforces. In general, the numbers of nurse practitioners and
physician assistants have been rising to meet the growing need for healthcare.
In a 2018
article for the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers David
Auberbach, Peter Buerhaus and Douglas Staiger predicted that the numbers of
nurse practitioners in the United States would grow 6.8 percent every year
between 2016 and 2030. That was faster than the forecasted growth rate of 4.3
percent for PAs and 1.1 percent for physicians during the same time period.
In fact,
the number of NPs has skyrocketed over the past decade. A recent
study published in Health Affairs, by the same team of researchers, found
that the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) NPs in the U.S. more than doubled
from 2010-2017, from approximately 91,000 to 190,000.
Meanwhile,
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is also forecasting
significant growth in the demand for PAs. As the demand for PAs to
provide care grows, opportunities for pediatric PA jobseekers will increase,
too. As of 2018, there were 118,000 PAs in the workforce, and the BLS has
predicted a 31 percent increase in employment from 2018 to 2028.
The
compensation for physician assistant jobs is also on the rise. The 2019 AAPA
Salary Report noted that salaries for PAs continue to increase steadily,
reporting that the median base salary for PAs reached $106,000 in 2018.
The
recently released Statistical
Profile of Certified Physician Assistants by State also noted the
growth in the PA workforce and increased salaries for PAs. The report also
found that 25.8 percent of the country’s PA workforce is practicing in primary
care, including family medicine, general internal medicine and general
pediatrics.
Demand
increases for pediatric expertise
This
could be the right time to have that pediatric specialization on your resume.
For
instance, nurse practitioners seeking certification as a primary care PNP can
apply to the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) for initial
certification as CPNP-PC. Certifications can also be obtained in acute care, namely
CPNP-AC.
Pediatric
physician assistants can also become certified and earn a Certificate of Added
Qualifications (CAQ) in Pediatrics from the National Commission on
Certification for Physician Assistants (NCCPA) to show their advanced expertise
in the specialty.
According
to a white paper
published in the May/June 2019 issue of the Journal of Pediatric Health
Care, a growing number of healthcare organizations understand the value of
pediatric expertise.
“Health
care systems are increasingly recognizing the importance of hiring providers
with pediatric expertise for the care of children,” wrote Kristin Hittle Gigli,
PhD, RN, CPNP-AC, CCRN, et al. “Providers without pediatric education and
certification require longer orientation, resulting in loss of provider
productivity and reimbursement for postgraduate pediatric education.”
The
authors also warn of a “forecasted critical shortage of PNPs over the next
decade.”
The areas
where pediatric expertise may be in the most demand: underserved and rural
areas, which are already struggling with provider shortages.
But scope
of practice barriers remain in place in many states, which could make providers
who want to practice independently think hard about the best long-term location
for them.
Pediatric
NPs and PAs who want to try out new locations can work with a locum tenens
agency to find short-term assignments and get assistance with state licensing,
credentialing and housing.
Related:
The
Future of Physician Assistant Practice Authority
Survey
Shows Continuing Barriers to APRN Practice
STAFF CARE can connect you with locum tenens
pediatric NP jobs and pediatric PA jobs throughout the U.S.
Contact a Recruiter Now